Stabilizing ruthenium atom layer neighbors through molecular and metal support interactions for water electrolyzers
En palabras de los autores
Abstract Designing catalysts that maximize both atomic efficiency and catalytic activity remains a central challenge in heterogeneous catalysis. While single-atom catalysts maximize noble metal utilization, their isolated structure limits the adsorption configurations of adsorbates, thereby diminishing their catalytic efficiency. We present a versatile platform based on atom-layer neighbors, where the proximity of Ru ensembles diversifies adsorption configurations while simultaneously enhancing adsorbate binding through ligand effects. By leveraging molecular interactions and strong metal-support interactions, we thermodynamically stabilize atomically thin structures comprising only a few Ru atoms, allowing the synthesis of size-tuned Ru atom-layer neighbors on WC x supports. The optimized *H binding on size-tuned Ru ensembles, combined with *OH enrichment on WC x supports, leads to competitive activity per unit noble metal cost in anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzers. Notably, our catalyst achieves the DOE 2026 performance target for PEMWE even at a lower temperature of 60 °C, with a Ru loading of 0.100 mg cm −2 , below the DOE’s ultimate noble metal loading threshold. This atom-layer neighbor platform offers a general strategy for enhancing catalyst efficiency while maintaining high noble metal utilization.
Apareció: jueves, 24 de septiembre. Nature Communications. Revista con revisión por pares.